Racism

Welcome 2 ZA, welcome 2 massive poverty, obscene inequality & such horrible outbreaks of disease, murder, rape, malnutrition, suicide, HIV Aids, homelessness & scale breaking numbers of orphans. Welcome 2 the harsh reality of raging racism & the still glowing embers of slavery; the prison of poverty. Poverty defined is the deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, shelter, clothing & safe drinking water, but also intangibles such as the opportunity to learn & the respect of fellow citizens.

Could you imagine living day in, day out, without any of these? Many people in ZA live without any of these things. Perhaps this is why they are only expected to live to 50. Every 10 seconds someone dies of some unquestionable reason that in our society we would find totally unacceptable.

Racism is another factor which is adding 2 the instability of ZA. By its simplest definition racism is the belief that racial differences produce a clear superiority over a particular race, religion, colour, ethnic origin or group. Certain sections of society maybe denied rights or benefits, or get special treatment.

Before 1994 in apartheid ZA people were classified according to the colour of their skin. The history of racism in ZA is appalling, for example in 1836 inadmissible human zoos were set up to parade the black people which they labelled ‘niggers and savages’. They were forced to do things with no clothes on and beaten to near death if they refused to do so.

White skinned people thought they were of more value than a dark skinned person. They honestly believed that dark skinned peoples only use was to slave for them. When a problem occurred it was the black persons fault. Personally I feel that this frame of mind is arrogant and stupid, but also ironic. How can you call someone ‘coloured’ when black, brown and white are all colours.

The apartheid was a list of restricting rules imposed upon the blacks to segregate them from white people. When it was removed individuals who had previously supported apartheid publicly apologised, including F W de Klerk. He said “I apologise in my capacity as leader to the millions who suffered wrenching disruption of forced removals; who suffered the shame of being arrested for no reason; who over the decades suffered the indignities and humiliation of immense racial discrimination.

As expected the years and years of anger at being constantly humiliated exploded and fears that the change of power in ZA would be violent were confirmed. It was here that the song ‘Beeko’ was released by Peter Gabriel which repeated ‘when I try to sleep at night, I can only dream in red, the outside world is black and white with only one colour – dead’.

All of this has supposedly passed and now according to the image the govt portrays the country is fine. I know from times out there that this wound has not completely healed. It still very much black and white in many situations. There are black schools, white schools, black shops, white shops, and black houses are of poor quality whereas white houses are of normal, even spectacular standards.

I went into shanty towns where houses are made of iron, wood and rubbish. Sidney Smith said ” It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little”. Taking out food to kids who are the same age as my cousins and younger, who are orphaned, starving and sometimes HIV positive, even dying, changes your view on the world. If they were born into our country they wouldn’t have had these problems.

We live in a society where people cannot see just how much they have, but also how much they take for granted. If Gov. like ours all over the developed country world gave a little money to ZA the poverty wheel would could end and the turmoil would be left behinf. Money CANNOT sort out everything. Perhaps if wealthy, stable and lawed coutries showed compassion to the younger generation of ZA who have not seen the horrors of their relatives past the world would change.

This is the generation which will change Africa. KOFEEE ANNAN said “things get better when enough people decide they should. Things change when countries come together in a common purpose” The time to act is NOW.

There are many things that could b done 2 correct the injustice. There are things even you and me can do. To quote HILLELL “If now is not the time to act, when will it b”

In fact, the Justice system, thought to promote equality in “the and of the free,” was useless towards the idea of racial harmony and African Americans were treated bitterly and relentlessly during this time. The author Kathy Stocked wrote a novel In the perspective of mistreated black maids and one helping white woman during the time of the call rights movement. Through the historical events, characters, and setting compiled Into Kathy Stockpot’s novel, The Help, the theme of Injustice and racial Inferiority Is portrayed.

During the novel, the bus Abilene is riding stops at a roadblock and all the black people are told to get off the us. The civil rights leader and NAACP field secretary, Meager Veers, had been shot and killed by the UK Klux Klan. Abilene states, “White peoples with guns, pointed at colored peoples. Cause who gone protect our peoples? Into no colored policeman’s” (230). The blacks are trapped and have no jurisdiction to control what happens in the community, or to themselves.

Even a person with authority, Mayor Thompson, denoted the idea of a biracial committee and said that he “believes in the separation of races” (231). Instead of protecting the blacks, the government was useless In aiding them. The Jim Crow laws, found by Skitter In the library, also resembled how government only contributed to the destruction of racism. The events that are embedded throughout the novel reveal how the characters feel helpless to what occurs around them.

In addition to resembling the theme of injustice, Hilly Holbrook is the symbol for whites who used power and influence to have blacks fired, evicted, imprisoned, fined, and even subjected to physical violence. She used her social status to influence the courts and businesses in the community to punish black omen, like Yule May, whom she targeted. After Yule May went to trial for stealing one of Hills rings, Abilene states that “A regular sentence be six months for petty stealing, but Miss Holbrook, she get it pushed up to four years” (295).

For many of the black characters in the novel, and the black maids during that time, there was little justice. Acts of violence and injustice were committed against them and there was nothing they could do to fight it. The scale was of Justice was Imbalanced, heavily sloping downwards for the blacks who had no power compared to the whites. The eating also reinforces the theme of Injustice and racial Inferiority. The novel Is set In Jackson, Mississippi, one of the most segregated towns in the united States, during ten time AT ten call relents movement.

I Nils was a parlor consisting AT organelle boycotts, student protests, and mass marches towards the struggle against racial segregation. The Jim Crow laws were enforced and there were strict rules and norms concerning the actions of blacks. Jackson, Mississippi was teeming with racial tensions and this affected the characters and events of the novel. Kathy Stocked rote the novel, The Help, and captured the image of life as a black maid during the sass’s.

In her novel, she compiled historical events, characters, and the setting to portray the emotions and hardships of blacks during this time in history. By using these devices, Stocked formed the theme of injustice that readers can either relate to or comprehend. Through her writing, she accurately demonstrated how racial inequality, injustice, and inferiority played a role in the lives of many blacks. The Help represents how the blacks, the inferior, began to stand up to the whites, the superior, through words and stories.

The impact of media communication on society is interpreted by its audiences based on numerous factors. All in the Family was one of the first sitcoms that displayed bigotry in an open forum. Audiences interpreted the show based on their specific in terms of either dominant or oppositional. Audience’s interpretations were based on their individual views or beliefs. Writing Intended to have the reader perceive a specific Idea or thought Is known as preferred reading.

Producers and writers Intend for their audiences to interpret their material In a specific way. If their perception is different than the intended view this is known as oppositional reading or decoding. Oppositional Readings Dominant and The character of Archie Bunker is represented as a conservative, super patriotic, working class American who is a bigot. Both a dominant and oppositional view Is perceived depending upon the viewing audience. It was the Intent of producers and writers to bring bigotry out In the open where people would laugh rather than take offense.

Archie was considered a bigot who was admired for his candid style by some while others were able to accept it as amorous. “Some viewers applaud Archie for his racist viewpoint, while others applaud the show for making fun of Bigotry’ (Vulgar and Reach). The article, “Archly Bunker’s Bigotry: A Study In Selective Perception and Exposure reveals an oppositional reading In which viewers perceive Mike as the opposition. Mike provides rebuttals to Archive’s derogatory slurs and racist remarks. The show gives the viewer a character they can relate to based on their selective perception. Avider and Reach). Archie Bunker’s Attitude Archie shows he is definitely without a bout racist through his verbal comments and physical expressions In the video clip, “Hollywood Knows the Truth Opt. 1: Archly Bunker In All in the Family. ” Archie classifies specific races, genders and ethnic backgrounds Into categories. Some of his verbal remarks included colored as “Jews” and polish people, Mike, as “anathemas”. Archive’s expressions during the toasting scene displayed different reactions when Barney drank out of his glass versus his reaction to Sammy Davis Jar. Ringing out of the same glass. Archie didn’t want to drink after a colored man. Archie asks Sammy if he thinks he Is prejudice. Sammy responds sarcastically, muff can tell the difference between black and white” (“Hollywood Knows the Truth Opt. 1: Archly Bunker In All In the Family”). Finally, when Sammy gets ready to leave, he asks Archive’s friend to take a picture of him and Archie. As the man snaps the picture, Sammy kisses Archie on the cheek. Archive’s expression said it all! Throughout the video clip Archie tries to prove to himself and everyone else he is not racist.

No matter how much he tried to play it if, everyone was aware of his feeling on racism through his verbal comments and physical expressions. Selective Perception and Exposure unaware selective perception Ana exposure, unprejudiced viewers perceive Archie as a dumb bigoted “hardhat. ” The prejudice viewer perceives Mike as a long haired, lazy “anathema Pollock. ” In selective perception prejudice viewers are more apt to enjoy the show for its satire while high prejudice viewers enjoy the humor. Therefore, the show is viewed equally with allowing for opposite perceptions.

Past week was United Nations day. The point of this holiday is to celebrate our heritage, to bring conformity, to create unity among a species which finds the very notion difficult. It is a holiday meant to put aside differences and to reach out to those next to you. To take their hands and with them lead forward into a place where those among us can be treated as equals.

That was the reason for the hands. There were so many hands; each a different color, pasted all over the walls, the table, the pillar holding up the ceiling in the small lounge area. Each one bore a name. As I walked past, on my way to a class to which I was desperately late, I passed a table. At that table sat five or so students, each with a hand, each writing their name as well as their race upon it.

“Come, make a hand!” the girl at the table cheerily ordered me as she passed me a limp cardboard cutout of an appendage. I shook my head.

“No thanks.”

At that I got an odd look. It was as if she were wondering, ‘why wouldn’t someone want to make one of these?’ She was puzzled, but persistent. She shoved the hand toward me again and I bristled. Not the best move, but involuntary.

“I said I don’t want to make one.” I turned my shoulder. I tried my best to convey with my body language, my eyes, my tone of voice, that I would not be swayed. She frowned. Scowled almost.

“You must be some kind of racist. Whatever.”

“Give me that.” I grabbed at the cardboard cutout almost fiercely. I sat at the table, pulled an assortment of markers toward me, and began writing. To hell with being late to class. I didn’t care anymore.

It took me but seconds to finish the hand and to give it back to the girl. She frowned at me once again.

“This isn’t what you’re supposed–“

“–I have a right to have it up there just like everyone else.”

She shrugged. It seemed she sensed she had lost the argument. She took the hand and stapled it to a sheet of blue paper hanging on the wall. I found then, and only then, that I was disgusted by the whole principle.

How is it, as a society, that the things that are supposed to make us the same turn out to make us different? It was that factor alone that disgusted me. Those hands were meant to bring us together, but instead they merely focused on our differences. Black. White. Hipic. We are not color blind. We have an innate ability to separate. To label as good or bad the color of one’s skin. On a holiday meant to represent unity, we were instead separating ourselves.

That was the reason I made my hand different. The reason I ignored the boundaries and instead labeled the hand with something that the girl considered to be ‘racist’. The reason I chose to be equal. After all, how are we to be equal if we only focus on the things that make us unequal? It should not be the color of one’s skin but the quality of that person that makes each unique.

That hand said only one thing.

Before I begin I feel that I need to express a point. The point I must make is that this is my opinion about this chosen topic and I hope it will be read with a open mind and not cast down before it has been finished.

What I would like to discuss in written form is ‘Is the human race on a collision course for its own destruction’ which needs no further addressment by myself but I feel the need to express a point or two.

Human life has existed on this planet for a relatively short amount of time considering the age of the planet upon which we inhabit. We have evolved on Earth from a simple ‘goo’ that has been dubbed ‘primordial soup’ by those ever clever scientists.

This fact maybe false by religious standards but it is the most likely solution to the problem of how we came to be. For Christian people we were came to be by an omnipotent being that took out the time to create two people, Adam and Eve, and I think that this is a good example of peoples delusions of supremacy.

For thousands of years now man and woman have played an overwhelming part in the development of this planet usually with the misconception that Earth is theirs and theirs alone and everything else is just here for are needs. We have destroyed landscape to accommodate our needs of hoes, farmland and entertainment. This is normally done with little regard for the previous inhabitants be they man or beast, especially concerning the treatment of native Indians on what is now American soil. All this is done for ‘progress’, the usual excuse so that the superior people can beat on the weak.

The advancement in technology is aided by the legions of great scientific minds which always seem to be controlled by some military power somewhere in the shadows watching, with interest what it is that is created next. As soon as a more advanced technology is developed it is used to show strength over neighbouring countries be they friend or foe.

One of the biggest problems is that all this technology can and probably be used to destroy each other as long as they are continually brought under the control of power mongers such as governments run by politicians.

To think that our own destruction is a certainty is an incorrect opinion to have, there are many variables that could change any future timeline, so who knows what the future will hold for us.

There is always the chance for reformation where humanity will realise that they are in control of their fate and don’t have to conform to human natures tendency to try and destroy itself.

For those whoa re fans of science fiction it may be apparent that Earth is either depicted as a world in trouble, with a large population and lots of pollution like in such movies as Blade Runner and others. The other side of this point is seen in such programs as Star Trek where humanity has been united with the thought that they are not alone in the universe. The program depicts a highly advanced culture that has broke free from the corruptive shekels of money and governmental rule.

When people realise that there is only one race on Earth and that is the Human Race then they will be able to get along better. Money also presents a problem, that’s not to say it should be abolished and communism should take president because it has been shown time and time again that it cannot work in today’s world.

I think the best thing to do is carry on with existence doing the best you can to make life just a bit easier for yourself and others around. If you can do that I am confident that everything will fall into place and sort itself out.

Through these poems and novel it shall e proven that Normalization is not always limited to an individual, instead it can extend to a social group and even a country itself. In this essay the three types of normalization will be addressed, individual normalization through racism, social normalization through groups such as the ‘hippies’ and the normalization of a country itself through economic normalization of 3rd world countries.

Normalization can occur anywhere at any time to anyone. Individual normalization is where one person Is singled out from a group or community of people for something like being an overweight. One of the most talked about and, unfortunately common, types of individual normalization is racism. Racism is something that society has struggled with for many generations. It has been around from the early settlers and has been a problem ever since.

The poem telephone conversation’ by Whole Saying demonstrates the racism and its problems very clearly. It is a poem about an African man looking for accommodation In either England or America around the time of the sass’s. The line “madam” I warned, “l hate a wasted journey – I am African”… “HOW an example of how African people were marginal’s again because of the color of their skin. In those times, It was hard

Major characters exponentially develop mentally and morally by interacting with minor characters, society, and applying the themes of the story to their lives. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird the reader can see the protagonist of the story, Scout Finch, mature from her child like mentality and thoughts to become a strong feminine character with high morals. This is achieved through the characters and situations in her life that influence her to see reality, past her childhood mirage, for what it really is.

The roles of people such as Attic’s Finch, and other minor harassers, greatly influences how she views the topics of racism, prejudice, and stereotypes. Attic’s’ character embodies the word humanity for his actions towards changing the stereotypes and prejudice of the Macomb Community are inspiring and motivational. Macomb is evidently a community that cannot tolerate differences and discriminate people based on their appearances. Their hostility towards the “Negroes” shows the reader and the protagonist how racism can affect and change ones life.

As the story progresses one can see the struggles and obstacles the protagonist faces when dealing with racism, from trying to protect her family name ND reputation, to protecting loved ones from judgmental people. Such situations and incidents cause the protagonist to be forced to see how one has to recognize the validity and value of lives unlike hers. To begin with, Scouts father Attic’s Finch plays a major role in her moral development as a person due to his paternal relationship and influence on her.

This can be seen through his parenting skills and techniques that help Scout be more open-minded unlike the other residents of Macomb County. For instance, when Scout says ” Our battles were epic and always one sided. California always won, mainly because Attic’s always took her side” (Lee 6). This quote not only proves that Attic’s apathy towards Scaloppini’s race reinforces their relationship, but It additionally fortifies the fact that scout learns that white and colored people are equals and no different from each other.

In addition, Attic’s’ exemplary actions towards different circumstances in his life greatly impact how Scout views her own life and societies false preaching’s on equality. Referring to the Tom Robinson case Scout questions Attic’s on why he is defending a “Negro” in court and he responds y saying ” If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Gem not to do something again” (Lee 75).

Although he acknowledges the fact that his family and him will be judged and ridiculed by his community for taking the case, he moves forward with the case because It’s consciously the moral thing to do. Attic’s’ optimistic mind-set and ability to see the good qualities of the situation encourages Scout to be more forgiving and understanding of the negative atmosphere In the Macomb society. Pursue what she believes in no matter what the consequences are. Attic’s later on tells Scout to “never kill a mockingbird” (Lee 273); the term is used as a metaphor to symbolize how you should never taint or kill the innocence of a person.

The mockingbird refers to characters such as Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Raddled, mockingbirds whose purity and innocence are polluted by racism, stereotypes, and rumors and are progressively “killed”. Scout learns that her perspective of life as being black and white are erroneous and that in certain situations, some things are best left unsaid, referring to one’s opinions on people based on their appearance. Furthermore, minor characters found throughout the novel teach and help develop Scout’s knowledge on . Mrs…

Double’s commentary towards the children shows Scout how ignorance breeds ignorance. This is shown when Mrs… Dubos holds up Gem and Scout and says ” Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse laming for naggers” (Lee 101). This quote characterizes Mrs… Dubos as someone who strongly believes that colored people are not equal individuals and don’t deserve to have the same rights and privileges such as lawyers like white people. Her age and how she was raised and taught to believe that white and lorded people were two very different and separate races can explain her beliefs.

Scout acknowledges the fact that even though characters such as Mrs… Dubos and Mr… Lowell are considered to be adults, they behave like ignorant children who have not been scolded, corrected, or taught better by their parents. For instance at the court Scout observes the fact that ” the Negroes having waited for the white people to go upstairs to the balcony first, started to go up” (Lee 173). This shows the reader the small gestures that the white people do, such as allowing the “Negroes” to sit down after them causes tension and distress in the society.

Such gestures can be translated as downgrading the colored people and treating them as though they were insignificant and a burden to the community. Despite the example set by the white people, Scout and Gem go up and sit down with the black people instead, indirectly challenging the Macomb society and setting their own examples. The actions of one person can start a chain reaction of change, a lesson that helps shape Scout’s independence and confidence in herself. She uses this newfound confidence in herself to express what she thinks and feels about stereotypes and racism, to advertise her beliefs and promote them to others around her.

Similarly, the Macomb County’s community is filled with hate, racism, stereotypes, and prejudice, factors that help Scout see how this shouldn’t blind ones perception on people. Scout sees how stereotypes can be altered and obscured from the truth. This is seen when she goes with Gem and California to the colored church where she sees that ” Negroes worshipped on Sunday while white men gambled” (Lee 118). The assumption in the novel is that white people are more religious then colored people but Scout see’s how this statement is false.

She also sees that even though the Negroes don’t have as much as the white churches or have the same materials such as songbooks, etc. They pray the same if not more then the white churches. Scout learns how stereotypes are fabricated and misleading, generalizations groups held in a manner that renders them largely, though not entirely, immune to counterproductive and how you shouldn’t assume things about people. Then there is the prejudicial Judgment caused by the ethnicity. This is proven when Scout says, ” Judge Taylor, who had been concentrating on his fingernails, looked up” (Lee 167).

This not only shows that the Judge has already come to the conclusion that Tom Robinson did in fact rape the girl but it also shows that he doesn’t care or find it necessary for Attic’s to defend him since his verdict has already been made. She learns to never Judge by appearances because they really can be far from the truth. Due to this incident Tom also teaches Scout how she should keep a clear mind and never doubt oneself when others doubt you during ones darkest points in life because as long as you believe in oneself you will be able to overcome all obstacles in